New lawsuit filed against Texans QB Deshaun Watson

Earlier on Wednesday, reports surfaced that one of 22 women who had filed lawsuits against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct dropped her case "in light of privacy and security concerns." 

By the evening hours, a previously unknown Houston makeup artist had sued the 25-year-old star signal-caller in a new case. ESPN's Sarah Barshop (link contains language about alleged acts of sexual assault) confirmed attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the other plaintiffs, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the makeup artist. 

As of early Wednesday night, 20 of the 22 previous plaintiffs attached their names to accusations in new filings after previous rulings said they could not file under the pseudonym Jane Doe. Rusty Hardin, Watson's attorney, reiterated this past Friday that his client is innocent of the allegations but said the quarterback has admitted that massages sometimes resulted in consensual sexual encounters. 

The Houston Police Department and NFL are investigating, and the league could prevent Watson from playing later this year via either the personal conduct policy or the commissioner's exempt list even if he settles the cases. 

With each passing week, it becomes more difficult to imagine Watson starting for any team in Week 1 of the 2021 campaign.